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Maloney, Gun Safety Advocates Kick Off Gun Violence Awareness Month

May 31, 2018

Press Release

NEW YORK—Today, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12) joined with members of the Gun Violence Awareness Month task force, LIFE Camp Inc., New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action, Gays Against Guns, and other activist groups to kick off the 5th Annual Gun Violence Awareness Month. In 2013, New York State made history by becoming the first state in the nation to designate an entire month to the issue of gun violence.

“We have had enough of the bloodshed, tragedy, and senseless violence that is plaguing our nation,” said Congresswoman Maloney. “We lose 13,000 people a year from gun violence with tens of thousands more injured by guns. Putting a stop to gun violence should not be a partisan issue. It is a life or death issue. We need Congress to act and pass common sense gun legislation. It is with advocacy, and efforts like Gun Violence Awareness Month, that we will be able to make a difference. With continued courage and commitment we will end this epidemic once and for all.”

Gun violence continues to plague communities across the country. Too many Americans are gunned down in cities and towns every day and mass shootings like those at Sandy Hook, Pulse Nightclub, Charleston, Las Vegas, and Sutherland Springs are all too common. These horrifying incidents serve as reminders that Congress needs to fight for common sense policies to make Americans safer.

Congresswoman Maloney has long supported sensible gun safety reforms, starting with support for The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993, which requires background checks for most handgun purchases and the 1994 assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004.

More recently, Congresswoman Maloney has pushed several key bills to crack down on gun violence. Her proposals would make gun trafficking a felony, allow and fund federal public health agencies to conduct research into gun safety, close the gun show loophole, support innovative “smart gun” technology, enable the ATF and FBI to conduct necessary efficacy reviews of our background check system, and reinstate an Obama-era rule to keep guns out of the hands of those incapable of handling their own personal affairs. She has also cosponsored legislation to require universal background checks, limit the number of rounds in magazine clips, and renew the expired assault weapons ban.